


Family Reunion

by puffythepig



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Slurs, gay slurs, souyo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-15 06:16:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7211243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puffythepig/pseuds/puffythepig
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yu has decided to come out to his parents when part of his family visits Inaba for a family reunion. Dojima already knows. Nanako already knows. And of course, his boyfriend, Yosuke, already knows. Only two people don't know, but they may be the hardest judges of all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family Reunion

Nervously, Yosuke glanced over at his partner. "Are you sure this is a good day?" 

It had to have been the tenth time he asked that question. But, could he really help it? Dressed in a nice button up and cachis, Yosuke was bundled up and ready on a physical level to meet his partner's parents, but he still wasn't sure if he was ready. 

Smiling softly, Yu placed a hand on Yosuke's. Feeling his shoulders relax, Yosuke couldn't help but wonder how his partner still had such a calming effect on him. It was almost magical. "It'll be fine." Leaning towards the other, Yu rested his forehead against Yosuke's. "I promise." 

A nervous laugh escaped Yosuke. How could Yu do this to him, making him happy despite the stressful circumstances? "But, you did say you're not sure how they'll react. They do still think you're bringing a girlfriend with you." 

Softening his eyes, Yu chuckled softly. "I know, but if Dojima out of all people can not only accept us, but say that if my parents do react badly, he'll let me stay here, then they should be excited." 

"If you're so sure, why didn't you tell them from the beginning you were dating me?" 

Shrugging his shoulders, Yu grabbed the pot of noodles off the stove,holding it gingerly. "I wanted to tell them in person. And what's a better place then a family reunion?"

Chuckling pitifully, Yosuke grabbed the pot of sweet potatoes off the other stove burner. "I don't know, anywhere." 

Yu gave him a pleading look, and Yosuke sat his pot down for a moment, taking Yu's as well, before reaching up and kissing the other. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against Yu's. "I'm kidding, you dork." 

Smiling, Yu kissed him again quickly before pulling away and grabbing his pot back up. "I'm happy they came all this way to see me, though. And some of my aunts and uncles are coming, too. I think my aunt is bringing her kids, too, so Nanako will have someone to talk to." 

With a gentle and shy grin, Yosuke picked the other pot up and headed for the door. "Where is Nanako, by the way?" 

Holding the door open for Yosuke with his back, Yu thought for a moment. "She's at the floodplain with Dojima." 

A grin ran across Yosuke's freckled face. "He's been really spending more time with her, hasn't he?" 

Nodding happily, Yu watched Yosuke leave the house and stand on the front steps waiting for the other. "I'm so happy about it, and I've never seen either of them so relaxed." 

"It's all because of you, ya know." Yosuke chided sweetly, causing a blush to crawl onto Yu's cheeks. 

Pecking Yosuke's cheek and closing the door with his foot, Yu smiled. "It's because of us." 

The other male nodded softly and gazed lovingly at his partner as they walked down the street to the floodplain. They idly chatted until they arrived, and when they did, a bouncing Nanako and tired Dojima joined the young couple. 

"Big Bro, what did you and Yosuke end up making for the family reunion?" She asked excitedly, gently looping her arm through her cousin's, making sure not to touch the pot. 

"Just some sweet potatoes and some noodles." The silver-haired teen replied, smiling down at the girl. 

With a chaste grin on her face, she giggled. "The sweet potatoes smell so yummy!" 

Looking over at Yosuke, Yu smiled sweetly. "Yosuke made them." 

Yosuke didn't say anything in reply, but he blushed a bit and looked down at the pot. 

"Wow, Yosuke! Can you teach me to make sweet potatoes sometime?" Nanako asked, her face glowing in joy. 

Grinning softly, Yosuke nodded. "Sure, Nanako-chan. I'd love to."

Nervously, Yosuke turned to look at the uncle of his lover. "Dojima-san, did you have a good day?"

"Huh?" The older man seemed a bit taken aback, but happy, nonetheless, letting out a very soft chuckle. "I did, thank you." 

The group continued to have the simple conversation until they were outside the building where the family reunion was going to take place.

They were all going to walk in together, but Nanako grabbed the pots, which were relatively small, and sped off into the building and her father followed suit, knowing it was going to be a little crowded. 

Yosuke moved to walk inside, and he started to shake a bit. Grabbing Yosuke's hand, Yu offered him a comforting smile and pulled him to the side of the building where no one would see them unless they looked down the cramped alley. Gently, Yu pulled Yosuke into a hug and rubbed his back. 

"It'll be okay." Yu mumbled tenderly, kissing Yosuke's shoulder softly. Even though he was the one who embraced Yosuke, and he was the one whispering comforting words, Yu was also anxious to tell his parents that not only was he pansexual, but he had a boyfriend that he would refuse to break up with, even if they didn't like him. Yosuke could feel his boyfriend tensing up and could hear the strain in his voice, so he let his arms slink from their comfortable spot on Yu's waist up to Yu's back, rubbing him back.

This time, they just stood chest-to-chest in silence. With another deep breath, Yu pulled away. Leaving a small kiss on Yosuke's lips, he lead the other back to the front of the building. With one final loving glance at each other, they entered the building abreast to each other, with their barely noticeable hands interlocked. 

Looking around the warehouse-like building, Yu spotted his parents greeting Dojima and Nanako. Tightening his grip on Yosuke, Yu started to approach them.

First, his mother saw him. She was saying something to Dojima and he speech slowed as she took in the image of her son and his friend, she supposed, not realizing that their hands were tightly held together. 

Then, his father saw. A stern look spread over his features, and he seemed to study them for a long minute. He offered a smile, but it looked fake and confusing. 

Nanako saw him. She raced over to the couple and grabbed their empty hands, dragging them towards the small group of parents. 

"Yu-chan!" His mother cooed, pulling her son away from the other boy and into her strong hold, kissing his cheeks over and over again. The teenager in her grip just stayed silent and didn't protest, even though his cheeks were red. The brunette stared in awe and confusion as his boyfriend was held and loved on. His hands were starting to shake again. He didn't want to take this away from Yu. His mother seemed to love him so much, and Yosuke felt guilty that his and Yu's love could possible take it all away. 

A calloused, yet comforting hand found Yosuke's back.

Dojima.

Yosuke glanced up and at the man. He kind of wanted to say something, but no words could form in his stinging mouth. 

"You okay?" Dojima whispered, in a surprisingly soft voice. 

Yosuke just gave him a shaking, lopsided smile.

Pulled away from their quiet conversation--if you could even call it that--Yosuke found himself confronted by Yu's over energetic mother. She had her arms gripping his tightly, and she grinned widely at him. 

"So, you're Yosuke, right?" 

Surprised she knew who he was, Yosuke cast a curious glance at Yu, who sheepishly smiled back, rubbing the back of his head. 

"Yeah, that's me." He managed to say, smiling a little wider. 

Swiftly, she pulled him into a hug. 

Eyes boggling, Yosuke wasn't sure if he was supposed to hug her back or not. The thumbs up Yu gave him, though, told him he should. 

Awkwardly, he wrapped his arms around the middle-aged woman. A moment later, she pulled back, a smile as wide as her head appearing on her face. "Yu-chan has said so many good things about you!" 

Shooting his boyfriend an embarrassed smile, Yosuke's heart warmed up a little. Maybe they were going to be okay. "He has..?"

"Of course!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together enthusiastically. "He says you're the best friend he's ever had!" 

A smile crinkled in Yosuke's eyes. Of course, as his friend. 

"Dad, I'm hungry." Nanako muttered, tugging on her father's sleeve. 

"I think we all are." Yu's father spoke up for the first time that day. His voice was raspy and deep, and the dark tone it held caused Yosuke to gulp. "Let's go get our plates." 

"Yeah, let's get to that!" Yu's mother cheered, and once again, Yosuke felt a tang of guilt. 

Dojima, Nanako, and Yu's mother hurried to the small buffet-like line. Yu's father trudged behind them, making sure to stare at Yu and Yosuke a little too long, with a little too much anger. Yosuke visibly flinched and Yu glared back at his father, who slowly turned forward again and joined his wife's side. 

"I'm having second thoughts." Yosuke mumbled, as Yu and him gradually started to approach the line, making sure to keep their distance so their whispers weren't heard by the group. 

Yu gave him a sympathetic look. "Me too." He squeaked out.

Frowning, Yosuke looked towards the group to make sure they weren't looking in the couple's direction, before pecking him softly on the cheek. "We're gonna be okay, Partner." He pat the other's back, and he really wanted to hold his boyfriend's hand, but he refrained as they came closer to the group. 

Luckily, Yu's parents were busy conversing with Dojima and Nanako. Yu let his hand dangerously grip Yosuke's, making sure not to make eye contact and make it obvious that something was going on. 

Before long, everyone had fixed their plates and sat down at the long table in the middle of the room, and while Yu's mother wanted to sit by him, Nanako fight to sit beside her adopted brother, and Yu insisted that Yosuke sat by him so he didn't feel too awkward. There were miniature conversations going on around the table, but for the most part, the table's occupants ate in comfortable silence. 

"So, Yu," A woman called from the opposite end of the table, "how have your grades been?"

Yu's mother leaned towards him from the across him, with a huge grin on her face. "Yeah, how have your grades been, Sweetie?"

Grinning proudly, Yu spoke up. "They've actually been really good this year."

"They always are." She said sweetly, grinning at her son. "So, what's this about you solving a murder?"

Shaking his head with a laugh, Yu leaned forward a bit. "It's a long story, can I tell you later?"

Rolling her eyes, his mother smiled. "Fine." Tapping her fingers, she glanced down at her hands. She glanced at Yosuke and back at Yu. "So, what about all of your friends? What are they like?" 

Glancing at Yosuke gleefully, Yu couldn't hide the smile that broke out on his face like acne. "They're the best. They're all so goofy, and I love them more than life itself." 

Yosuke bit his lip and smiled at those words. 

His mother batt her eyelashes. "Are any of them...girls?" 

A glare played around on Yu's face. "Yeah. Some of them are."

"Oh, stop glaring at me like that, Sweetie." His mother pouted a little. "I just want to know if you like any of them."

"No, I don't." His voice was cold and upset at the same time. 

Under the table, Yosuke reached over and grabbed Yu's hand and squeezed it roughly. 

A few seats down, a teenager about the same age as Yu and Yosuke called over to them. 

"What's wrong, Narukami?" It was one of Yu's cousins. "Don't you have a girlfriend?" 

"Oh! That's right! You said you were bringing a girlfriend." His mother claimed, staring intently at her son. "Where is she?" 

Yu went quiet. The rest of the room silenced. Slowly, they came to the realization. Except his mother and father, who had their eyes curiously on him, still. 

Yosuke kept his eyes down in fear. 

"Um, auntie?" Nanako spoke up, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration. "Big Bro doesn't have a girlfriend." 

Slowly, his father's eyes widened. He understood. 

His mother still looked confused. 

"I did bring someone, Mom." Yu smiled sheepishly and held his and Yosuke's still interlocked hands up for everyone to see. "And his name is Yosuke."

There was no verbal reaction at first. She stared, processed the situation, and Yu could feel his heart break as her expressions changed from sadness to disappointment to raw anger. And surprisingly, she didn't speak to them first when she did speak, and instead she glared at Dojima. 

"My son leaves for one year, and still you manage to make him gay." 

Yosuke winced at the sound of the words and immediately looked at Yu, tightening the grip on his hand. The other teen was so shocked that he couldn't even frown. 

"Oh, shut it, sis. Your son, my nephew, goes out of his way to literally save the country, and all you can do is get mad because he happens to have a boyfriend?" Dojima retorted, setting his fork down in anger. 

"N-no, you listen here!" She was visibly upset at the words, "My son courted girls before he left, and now I see him again and he's dating a boy. It's your fault he's like this. You don't have any morals." 

Now, Yu was getting worked up. His bottom lip was quivering slightly, and it hung out so long that you could dive off of it. "S-stop it, Mom. I never courted anybody, and especially not the girls you knew. They were my friends, but you can't handle the idea of a boy and a girl being just friends." 

Air pushed out of her nose as if she was a bull ready to charge. "That's because I was worried this would happen. I knew you would turn out gay if I didn't do something. That's why I sent you to a small, country town. I thought if any place could teach you that being gay is wrong, that it'd be a small town."

"Maybe that didn't work because it isn't true." Yu said, his eyes starting to well up. 

"What isn't true?"

"Being gay is not wrong."

She shook her head angrily and looked at Dojima, directing her hate towards him. "I trusted you and you not only made my son gay, but you made him into a damn pansy. Look at him. He's crying like a girl." 

Now, Yu did break down. He stood up, pushing his chair back and standing. There was no hatred in his eyes, but only despair. How could he have been so blind? 

Yosuke couldn't believe her words. His boyfriend was crying because he was hurt, and he was not a 'pansy,' and a deep, dark anger boiled inside of him. 

"Grow up, Misaki," Dojima sneered, staring her down. "Your backwards views are absolutely disgusting."

"That's it. We're leaving." She stood up, her husband following suit. "There's got to be some conversion counseling or something back in the city. We'll fix our son to be himself again." She circled the table and grabbed her son's wrist. "C'mon, Yu. We have a lot to talk about." 

"No." Yu squeaked, his voice tiny and betrayed. 

"Don't say no to me you dumb faggot," she hurled out, breathing down his neck. 

At this point, Yosuke was still holding his boyfriend's other hand and he was watching intently and waiting for an opportunity to react. It was now, he decided. 

Stepping forward, Yosuke stepped in between the woman and her son. "He said no."

Every pair of eyes were on them. Her face flushed and she was seething at the thought of being told off by a teenager so much that she reached her hand up and smacked him hard. Fingerprints glowed red on his cheeks and he could only stare. The breath in his throat hitched and he went silent. 

"It's your fault, isn't it? You're the reason my son turned out this way." 

He didn't fight back. Instead, he turned towards Yu, and with a simple dagger glared her way, and smashed his lips against his boyfriends', wiping the silver-haired male's tears away as he did. 

All she could do was gape and stare in surprise and disgust. It was almost funny. Dojima was cracking up at her expression. 

"S-stop that!" She huffed out, trying to pry the brunette away from her son. He just mumbled against his boyfriend's lips. "Sorry, too busy sinning, come back later." 

A laugh escaped Yu's father and they stopped. Both turned around and stared at him, and Yu's mother was not far behind. "Honey, stop...stop doing that." She said through gritted teeth. 

Smiling for the first time that day, he slowly walked forward and pulled his son and his son's boyfriend into a tight embrace. All she could do was stare. 

"But, darling, they're disgusting. You know this is unnatural." She whined, batting her eyelashes. 

He glared at her for a minute before smiling. "The only thing unnatural is your desire to hate your son. Look at him, Misaki," The man motioned to Yu's smile. "isn't this what matters?"

Enraged, she shook her head. "N-no! This isn't healthy, he might seem happy, but he'll never be actually happy unless he dates a girl."

Yu's father rolled his eyes. "You're being ridiculous, dear. He's our son and you should love him."

"I'll never love him. I never want to see that-that," she pointed at her son, "that faggot again."

Eyes widening, Yu shook his head and stared at her as he started to cry. Without another word, Yu pushed away from his father and away from his boyfriend and ran for the door. Once outside, the teenager kept running. He didn't stop until he was at least a block away from the building. He collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily, and sobbed as hard as he could. 

"Look what you did," Yu's father scowled, shaking his head and walking over to his wife. "now you probably never will see him again. You know he won't want to see you again." 

"Good." 

"You don't mean that."

"I do."

Yu's father gazed down at his wife and shook his head. "Well, with or without you, I'm going home. You've ruined the outing for everyone else." And with that, he was walking to the door. With one more glare towards Yosuke and Dojima, she marched up to her husband and the two left. 

"Daddy, can we go find Big Bro now?" 

Dojima looked down upon his daughter, who worriedly gazed up at him. 

"Of course. Let's go do that now." Firmly, he clapped a hand on Yosuke's back and smiled smugly, motioning his head so that the teen followed him out. 

The first thing Yosuke did was call. Yu didn't pick up after three calls, and he was getting worried. The sky was dark when they found him. Ledged into an alley way, the teen sat curled up in a ball with his head hidden in his knees. 

Sleeping. He was sleeping. The three people searching for him exchanged glances, and Nanako pushed Yosuke forward to wake her sleeping sibling. 

"Hey, Partner," Yosuke whispered softly, rubbing his lover's back tenderly, "it's time to wake up." 

Slowly, Yu raised his head. His cheeks were still red and puffy from crying, but he smiled when he saw Yosuke and his family. He let himself be pulled to his feet by his boyfriend, and instantly he held his hand. 

The three started a steady walk towards the Dojima residence. For about ten minutes, no one talked. They let Yu regain his energy in respectful silence. He broke it. 

"Hey, Yosuke," Yu smiled sheepishly, "you were right, it didn't go fine."

Tightening his grip, Yosuke smiled pitifully at his lover. "Well, at least we know what she thinks, now." 

Nodding solemnly, Yu reached his other hand over to hold onto Yosuke's sleeve. "That's true. I thought she would.."

"I know." Yosuke muttered lovingly, rubbing tiny circles on Yu's hand. 

"I'm just so sorry she acted like that." 

"It's not your fault, Partner. There's nothing to be sorry for." 

When Yosuke cast a comforting grin Yu's way, Yu couldn't help but relax a bit. 

Soon, they were in the shopping district. Neither Yu or Yosuke had paid much attention to where they were going, and simply followed Dojima's lead. Yu looked at his uncle curiously. 

"Nobody got to finish their meals, so I'm just picking us all something up from Aiya's." 

"Dad, can I put our order in?" Nanako asked, grinning chastely. 

Nodding, Dojima grinned at his daughter. "Alright, here's the money." 

Soon, the four people were walking back to the Dojima household, happily munching on beef bowls. Once they were inside, Dojima's phone rang loudly, and he stepped into his room to answer it. The three other occupants sat on the couch and waited, since they could tell now that the caller was Yu's mom, and Dojima was shouting at her. Soon, the shouting seized, and then the talking stopped. Dojima entered the room again with a broad, but sad grin on his face.

"As you could probably tell, that was your mom." 

Yu nodded, waiting for the man to continue. 

"We talked, and came to an agreement. Starting next month, I will be your legal guardian."

"Really?" Yu leaped to his feet and bounded over to his uncle, enveloping him in a tight hug. Dojima laughed and hugged the teen back. Nanako ran over as well and embraced her adopted brother lovingly. Lastly and awkwardly, came Yosuke. He didn't know if it was his place to join in or not, but he did anyway, squeezing his boyfriend tenderly. 

"Also, your parents are arguing, and it sounds like they might end up divorcing. On the bright side, you'll get to see your dad without the stress of your mom." 

Hearing those words was actually quite relaxing. In any other situation, the thought of his parents divorcing would upset him, but this was good. Of course, a nagging feeling of sadness hung in the back of his head at the idea that his mother would likely never accept him, but he knew that his family that was still holding onto him right now loved him dearly, and that distracted him. 

They all pulled apart, still smiling. "Well, it's late you three," Dojima said, grinning tiredly, "and it's been a long day, so I think we should all head to bed." 

Nanako nodded in agreeance and smiled. "Also, I think tomorrow Yosuke should teach us to make those sweet potatoes, since we didn't get to eat any today." 

Chuckling, Yosuke nodded in agreeance. "Sure, I could do that." 

"Yay!" The young girl cheered, hurrying off to bed so she could wake up sooner. Dojima grinned, and shook his head. 

"Night you two. Sleep well." Dojima said softly, and before heading off to his bedroom, he smiled softly at the couple. "And Yu, I'm happy to have you as my nephew."

Yu smiled happily at his uncle. "And I'm so happy I have someone so accepting as my uncle."

"Well, I wasn't a good dad to Nanako since my wife died, and you changed that. I'd do anything to repay that." Sheepishly, Dojima waved it off. "Anyway, night."

"G'night, Uncle."

Once Dojima was in his room, Yu turned to Yosuke and kissed him passionately. When they broke apart, Yu just smiled lovingly at the other. 

"I don't know what I would have done without you today." Yu whispered, bumping their foreheads together. 

Blushing, Yosuke shook his head. "You would've been fine. You did great."

"I stormed out bawling like a baby," Yu mumbled, smiling shyly, "I wouldn't call that great."

"Yeah, I guess I can see your point," Yosuke said humbly, pecking Yu on the lips again, "but I still think you handled it pretty well. It was just a lot to handle." 

With a bittersweet smile, Yu kissed Yosuke again. This time it was longer and softer, and left both burning red. Sheepishly, they held each other's hands again and made their way up the stairs to Yu's bedroom. 

They both stripped down to their boxers and turned the fan on, cuddling under the blankets. Tracing shapes on each other's skin lovingly, they both were silent aside from murmurs of 'I love you' until they fell asleep. 

 

The next morning, when they woke up and gazed at each other with hearts in their eyes, they knew it was going to be okay. They were going to make it through this. 

Slowly, they dressed themselves back into daytime clothes, and it was a good thing, for moments after they finished putting their clothes on, Nanako bounced into the room. "I made us all breakfast!" 

Both boys smiled at the sound of that, and bounded down the stairs with the young girl. Today was going to be a better day, because it does get better.


End file.
